Title deed payments waived and Makonde to be granted citizenship
Members of the Makonde community at State House in Nairobi on October 13, 2016. PHOTO | PSCU
What you need to know:
To get a title deed, one had to pay a fee based on the value of the land, surveying fee, planning fee, and adjudication fee.
- Makonde came to Kenya from Mozambique in 1947 to work on sisal and sugar farms in Kilifi, Kwale and Taita Taveta.
The Cabinet on Thursday waived all payments for title deeds, in what could come as a huge relief for millions of Kenyans who cannot afford to pay for the vital document.
To get a title deed, one had to pay a fee calculated based on the value of the land, the surveying fee, planning fee, and adjudication fee.
These fees vary with the size and value of land. Experts have blamed the fees for the situation where many Kenyans with huge tracts of lands have no title deeds to back their ownership claim.
“The Cabinet approved waiver of payments for title deeds for the majority of Kenyans who have not been able to obtain titles for their properties due to prohibitive cost of land registration,” a statement from State House sent to newsrooms said on Thursday.
At the same time, the Cabinet on Thursday also approved a waiver for land registration fees for public schools.
Only 7,000 of the 32,000 public educational institutions in Kenya have the vital document, according to the Ministry of Education.
The lack of the title deeds has been blamed for the many cases of grabbing of public land, especially those meant for schools.
KENYA AIRWAYS
In their seventh ordinary meeting, the Cabinet also approved a “Fly Kenya Policy” that ordered all government officials to fly using Kenya Airways on all official trips outside Kenya.
“In a move to support Kenya Airways, Cabinet directed all public officers to use Kenya Airways while travelling outside Kenya on official duty,” State House said in a statement.
The Cabinet also approved the registration and issuance of citizenship to the Makonde people from the coast.
The Makonde came to Kenya in 1947 from Mozambique to work on sisal and sugar farms in Kilifi, Kwale and Taita Taveta counties but were not considered part of the 42 tribes of Kenya when the country attained independence in 1963.
The meeting chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta also approved a half-day volunteerism every December.
On that day, Kenyans will be required to volunteer half a day to provide free services to others.
“This is to inculcate the culture of volunteerism by playing a proactive role in sustainable development, reduction of poverty and social integration,” said the Cabinet statement.
